Breakaway
by novemberindiacharlie
Summary: A teacher. A student. Their paths cross again in the pristine halls of Lillian, where love and desire make an unexpected appearance. YumiXSachiko
1. Chapter 1

a/n: The story takes place completely in an alternate universe and there is no soeur system here. Please pardon any foolishness.. thank you very much!

Chapter 1. "Gokigenyou."

"What!" a muffled cry can be heard inside the Fukuzawa household. "But daddy! I-"

"No but's Yumi. This is the last straw, I can't take much more of your foolish antics!" Foolish antics was an understatement. Beads of sweat gathered on her fathers eyebrows, clearly he was more than displeased of her daughter's actions. The slender man loosened up his tie, adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before he spoke again to the girl seated in front of him.

"You'll be leaving a week from now. I hope you understand that I'm doing this for your own good." He impulsively stated as he avoided the glares that her daughter gave her. He sighed at the thought of how her daughter turned out this way. Where is my little girl?

Yumi have changed so much since the loss of her mother. It has only been six months and already yumi have been arrested a dozen times for lewd behavior, misdemeanour, destruction of property and at one time, physical assault. Yumi admitted to the other charges, they sort of gave her a sense of pride but assaulting someone was something she could never do, it was sort of a misunderstanding between her and the police. No one believed her claim that she was sexually harassed by one of the officers during one of their encounter with the fiery girl. Self-defense. I bet anyone would have acted that way if they were touched inappropriately. Exactly what yumi did, but turned out a bit too harsh, for the officer received several stitches after yumi hit him countlessly with a bottle, a ladder, one of her shoe and cans of spray paint. Oh yeah, and for weeks the officer's face was pink. Serves him right, Yumi thought.

Cans of spray paint. Ever since her mother died, Yumi have found a more expressive and outright way of showing her emotions. On the night that she was finally caught by her father sneaking out, of all nights it was when she was drunk. Yumi rarely consumed alcohol, her father just caught her in a bad time. If only she had the same coordination and motor-skills of a sober person then slipping off her window wouldn't have happened. Spray paint in hand despite her casted arm, yumi still continued the "beautification" of her city. They were beautiful indeed, vast grey walls transformed into art. Every work is a delicate unfolding of herself. In every inch of her work she have shed countless amount of blood and tears on them. But not everyone agreed on how she expressed her self; artistic and tasteful it might be, it was still against the law.

Yumi's father let out a painful sigh and massaged his temples.

"There are nice boarding schools in the U.S., you can stay with your aunt for the mean time." He said with undeniable guilt. Guilt. Yes, he's been dreading this feeling for a time now. Ever since he lost his wife, work has become a form of solace from the pain of losing half of his life. Yumi's father is currently in the peak of building his architectural firm. Business life have been going quite fairly well, although at the expense of his family. Instead of spending his time consoling his children, he shun away in the office and worked day and night, almost at the brink of driving himself to madness. Time. If only he can go back in time to set things right. For his children, for his little girl. He hated himself for even thinking of sending Yumi away. I am weak. He remorsefully accepted to himself.

"We can always visit you." That was a lie. He just wanted to say something to comfort his daughter, so he could hide his shame.

Yumi opened her mouth to say something, but all this drama was too much. She looked like a fish out of water and out of breath. Her mind spinning and eyes beginning to blur as tears began to cover her eyes. No, I will not cry. Instead, anger took over. An image of her, biting her father's head crept in her mind. I hate you. As her drool slowly fell on her father's well ironed suit.

This is too much for Yumi. She wanted to scream her head off.

"If only mom was still here-"

"Stop it Yumi!" His tone mixed with emotion. Their situation have taken a wrong turn. As time passed, they ended up hurting each other more. It was unintented, hurting those you love. Pain comes with reckless love. Love. Pain. Hurt. Hope. Made life all the more beautiful.

"You know, sending her away will not solve anything." A calm voice said at the end of the table. It was Yuuki. He stood up and walked towards the window, almost pretending he was actually looking at something fascinating outside. Yuuki caught his sister's pleading eyes and gave a tender smile. He's always the rational and level-headed one, must have gotten it from his mother.

"Just atop the hill beside my school is-" he paused, a smirk played in his lips.

"Lillian's academy." he continued with amusement in his voice. He turned to face the other two just in time to see his sister's reaction.

"You can't be serious. Who's side are you anyway?" Yumi said in disbelief. Yuuki watched as the girl came close to a hysterical rampage.

"But that school's like a charm school!" Yumi flinched at what she just said.

"Young girls go there and end up becoming domestic goddesses or something!"

Domestic goddess? What the hell is she talking about? Her father thought in confusion.

"Don't be silly Yumi, Lillian is an excellent school. Besides, girls don't study there, ladies do." Yuuki pointed out directly at her sister. Followed by his boyish laughter. With that Yumi started her hysterical rampage.

In between Yumi's babbling about knitting and nuns Yuuki couldn't help but think about how her sister used to be. A sigh escaped his lips, he was only worried about Yumi.

"Prudence Yumi, or lack thereof."

"Your right Yuuki." Their father spoke thoughtfully cutting Yumi's rant about something regarding virgins and someone watching over them. Both men gave her a puzzled stare which all the more ticked off yumi.

"Daddy please..." Yumi couldn't think of anything to say anymore. Arguing with someone as stubborn as her is really draining.

"Yumi please...do this for me, for mom..." He held on to those brown eyes which recently have lost the spark and wonder it used to contain. Yumi lowered her gaze to the floor, closed her eyes and sank deeper in her chair. Silently she thought of the hundred reasons why this was a bad idea.

"Yes, daddy."

For a second there, her father actually heard the lost sweetness and sincerity in Yumi's voice. He stood up and planted a tender kiss on yumi's head.

"Thank you..." he whispered. Yumi slowly looked up and a faint smile crossed her face. She may admit it or not, Yumi could never resist a request from her father, she is after all a daddy's girl. She then eyed Yuuki who was still by the window giving her a wide grin and a "v" sign. Yuuki, your so dead.

Yumi still couldn't shake off the remark her father gave her before she left for her new school. Stay out of trouble okay? She stood in front of Lillian's gate, her stomach twisted in knots. By the way, she was ridiculously early. Her father and Yuuki both insisted that she should make a good impression , her father even bothered to drop her off on his way to work. To whom actually? She thought. No one was insight. Slowly she made her way towards the school then hesitantly stopping about a couple of feet away from a statue. I hate first- her thought was cut short when a vision caught her eye. A tall slender figure standing in front of the statue giving a silent prayer. Hair black as night smoothly flowed as the wind blew stronger then settled down again as if nothing happened. Her pale skin glowed under the gentle rays of the morning light. Yumi swallowed hard, clearly in sheer awe at the beautiful sight in front of her. The figure shifted a little, about to leave and proceed to where ever she was headed but a presence stopped her. Curiously, she slowly turned to look at Yumi who she seems oddly drawn to. Blue eyes intently stared at the young girl, a sudden familiarity caught Yumi. Wait a minute...

"Gokigenyou." Was all the blue-eyed girl said before she gracefully turned to leave. Such a smooth cold voice. Smooth as her movements, cold as her eyes.

"Eh?"

The scene was like in all those romantic novels and movies, everything seemed to be in slow motion as if she was given the chance to take every pain-staking detail all at once. Every strand of flowing hair, lips forming a vague smile. Eyes lingering, every motion, every step, every moment now tattooed on Yumi's mind.

Why isn't she wairing her uniform?

-to be continued-

a/n: woohoo! glad to get that off my head...well, thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. How They Met.

The sun was brighter now, rays of light filled the peaceful corridors. A gentle humming of a lawnmower from the garden could be heard, footsteps lazily treading the wooden floor. A sigh escaped Yumi's lips as she stopped in front of the principal's office. She raised her hand to knock on the wooden door but hesitated for a moment. Her hand still in midair and a twisted expression on her face. For the nth time she cursed. Three gentle knocks.

"Come in." a soft voice just enough to be heard came behind the door.

Yumi slowly turned the brass door knob which felt cold beneath her skin. No, she wasn't nervous, far from it. In the last school she attended, Yumi was a regular visitor in the principal's office. But, why in the world is she feeling sheepish? A disarming smile formed on the old woman's face as she saw brown hair and then deep brown eyes peek in the door. She's in her late forties, lines in her face boasted of the experiences she had. Lillian's academy is in the care of nuns and she'd already witnessed generations of young ladies grow into beautiful women in her years here as the principal. Charming deep wrinkles formed in the corner of her eye as her smile broaden.

"Welcome Yumi." she said heartily as she realized who's head was sticking out the door. Yumi couldn't help but let her whole body inside the room, it would be silly to stay in her current position the whole time. Yumi gave a slight bow.

"Goodmorning sister." she simply greeted. Something about the woman behind the desk in front of her made Yumi act...prim and proper? Yuuki would have a good time if he was here.

The principal nodded in response and said with approval. "It's nice to see such a pretty face beneath those heavy make up."

The brown-haired girl only smiled and a slight blush crept on her cheeks from embarrassment. During the weekend, Yumi and her father came to Lillian to settle her admission to the school with the principal. She came in her usual attire; heavy make-up, earrings just about anywhere she could think of putting, her favorite sneakers paired with jeans that she uses when she paints, her father insisted that she throw them away for it looked more like a rag than a pair of pants, then a tank top that slightly showed her belly...ring. Her hair was in a frenzy which was hidden by her jacket's hood. Her father annoyingly pulled down her hood just before they entered the principal's office, revealing a pile of brown hair with colored streaks of purple and red. Yumi cleaned up pretty nicely.

Yumi had her hand behind her back, secretly tying her fingers in a knot. Her brown eyes surveyed every corner and item inside the room. The principal started a speech about the school's vision and mission as Yumi absent-mindedly nodded in response. Suddenly, the principal stood up then out of nowhere a guitar placed in her hand as she was about to sing 'The Sound of Music'. Yumi bit her trembling lips so as not to let laughter come out of her mouth. She always had a wild imagination, it was always of good use in this boring situations.

Yumi didn't realize how long she was standing there but she could hear more people arriving. The nun briefly looked at the clock just above Yumi's head and then gave another of her disarming smiles. "I guess you should get going now." Then with a delicate finger she pushed a button on something that looked like an intercom and spoke to it.

Chimes could be heard across the school, signalling everybody that classes was about to start. Something was definitely different with the students of Lillian. The students had in them an indefinite atmosphere, almost like dying and finding yourself in a school filled with angels. Now that's an exaggeration. The corridors were filled with delicate movement as students made their way to their respective classrooms. No unnecessary noises or hurried pushing that Yumi was so accustomed to. In an instant Yumi felt out of place. She looked walked in a daze while she searched for her room. 304. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand and then the wooden sign above a door. Yumi stopped in front of the closed door, gazing inside through a tainted glass.

Sachiko was already inside the classroom as she waited for the rest of the students to settle in. Everyone had their backs unimaginably straight and their eyes glued at the figure standing in front. Sachiko tapped her delicately long fingers on the table, perfectly manicured nails rhythmically drumming on wood. Her piecing blue eyes staring at nothing in particular then a figure came in sight at the corner of her eye. Someone was standing outside the door. Three knocks then the door opened slowly. Students peered at the door in anticipation.

"Class we have a transfer student." Sachiko said her eyes still glued on her students.

"Introduce your self." she said gently then looked at the figure by the door. Sachiko had a talent of hiding her emotions and projecting a face of utter calmness. But underneath her porcelain skin was a heart that pounded faster and louder. For a moment she caught the young girl's eyes, her breathe was held unnoticed. Yumi immediately looked at the rest of the class, staring a few more seconds at those blue eyes would turn her into a popsicle under the scorching sun. Sachiko still stared intently at the girl a foot beside her. Confused by the knot forming in her stomach she desperately cleared her head.

" I'm Fukuzawa Yumi" The girl politely bowed and gave her classmates a smile which everyone found charming.

"Nice to meet you." Please let me sit down already. Please. Please. Yumi's knees were buckling. Sachiko's stares were unbearable but she had this indescribable feeling that she rather liked being stared at. Such mixed emotions.

"You may take a seat." Sachiko calmly said hiding the best she can the turmoil that began building up inside her. "There are several unoccupied seats choose whichever you feel comfortable." Yumi eyed an empty seat behind a beautiful girl with blonde wavy hair. She slowly made her way, a faint smile graced her face as she remembered what just took place earlier in front of the Virgin Mary statue. Gokigenyou.

"My name is Ogasawara Sachiko." She said cooly before turning to the blackboard to write down her name. Yumi noted how pretty her hand writing is. Sachiko set down the chalk as she turned towards the class before she continued speaking. "I'm in charge of this class so, if you have any concerns please don't hesitate to approach me." Yumi gave a nod which Sachiko returned.

"Todou-san?" "As class representative, please take care of Fukuzawa-san" Sachiko spoke to the girl infront of Yumi who stood and slightly bowed in acknowledgement.

"Yes sensei." the girl responded before taking her seat and with that the class began.

Ogasawara Sachiko. Sachiko. Yumi quietly said to her self. She was deeply intrigued by the beauty standing in front of the class, a hand gently placed at the edge of her desk and the other held a book which she read to the class. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows slightly rose as she continued reading, Yumi's eyes narrowed while she continued staring at her teacher. A tiny gasp, her eyes widen in sudden recognition of the face she was staring at. The bride...

It was just a week ago, Yumi running as fast as her slender legs could take her. She took refuge in a church, which Yumi failed to notice was occupied. A wedding was taking place. She steadied her breath and made her way through the far side of the aisle, she tried her best not to be noticed. The wedding march began. Her pace was in time with the bride's, at some point in the middle their eyes met. The bride looked away for a moment, seemed confused of what had happened. She looked again but found the girl nowhere in sight. A sudden urge made her want to search for the mysterious person, but she thought the better of it and continued with a slight hesitance towards the altar. It happened almost instantaneous, seemed far too brief to leave an impression, but Yumi never forgot the feeling that took over her. The nights that came, she only dreamt of her.

The bell rang, their class has ended. Yumi was shaken off her train of thought. An agonizing feeling squeezed her heart. Such is the complexity of the human heart.

"Ogasawara-sensei. Beautiful isn't she?" The girl to her right leaned over and spoke to her which startled the bemused Yumi.

"Eh?" Yumi tried to hide her interest for their teacher who was now nowhere in sight. But the other girl knew better and gave her a wink.

"Before she graduated from college, Lillian already offered her a job. Ogasawara-sensei just started teaching this year." That explained why she looked so young, Yumi thought.

"She used to be a student here, graduated at the top of her class. A star of Lillian. Perfect in every way." Yumi stared at the girl clearly at a loss of words.

"Oh! Sorry, Shimazu. Shimazu Yoshino. Yumi right?" Yoshino gave a bright smile.

"Yeah."

to be continued

a/n:thank you!thank you!thank you!

my...my...my... I never thought it would take up so much energy to write this story...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Run or Fly Away?

Yumi let her head drop on the table and let out a loud groan. Second period just finished and she could barely keep her eyes open. In her last school she rarely came to class, it was a surprise to her that she wasn't expelled yet. Yumi then remembered her father's warning while having a family dinner (her father insist now on having these family dinners), Lillian is her last chance. If she screw this up she'll be sent to military school. A sigh escaped her lips as she tried to shake off the thought of going to a military school. Anything but that. But she can always run away and live off on her art, a starving artist maybe.

Her head was still glued on her desk when a soft voice spoke.

"Fukuzawa-san?"

"Hmmmm?" She lazily lifted her heavy head to look at the person who unglued her head off her desk. It was class representative Toudou Shimako.

"You can borrow my notes." She offered with a smile as she handed her notebook. Yumi blinked then looked at the notebook and then at Shimako.

"T-thank you." Hesitantly she reached for the notebook.

"Since we're in the middle of the school year, come see me if you need any help." The blonde haired continued. Yumi could only nod in response, this was the first time she had a classmate this nice. She wondered if they were for real.

"Don't worry Yumi-san." Another voice spoke. It was the brown haired girl who sat beside her, Shimazu Yoshino.

"We're glad to help." Yoshino gave a 'v' sign as she stood beside the class representative. She seemed to have sensed the uneasiness Yumi felt. Yumi smiled at her two classmates and thanked them both. It was only then that she noticed that the rest of the class were making their way out of the class room.

"Is it lunch time already?" Yumi wanted to smack her head for saying something stupid.

"No Fukuzawa-san, we're moving to another classroom for our next class." Shimako said with a slight giggle.

"You're a very interesting person, Fukuzawa-san."

"Ehehehe...right..." Yumi sheepishly replied.

"Please, call me Yumi." "And thanks again for your notes." She said with a slight bow before following Shimako out of the classroom. She noticed how Shimako's soft curls delicately bounced on her shoulders with every step she took. Yumi wondered what brand of shampoo the girl used to make her hair so light and bouncy. She looked intently at the girl in front of her and wondered if the blonde girl had wings hidden underneath her uniform.

The rest of the classed were lined up now in two rows slowly making they're way through the corridor in silent conversation. Yumi hesitantly fell in line and felt like a little French school girl going on a field trip, she quickly put a hand over her mouth to stop her self from laughing out loud.

"What's wrong Yumi?" Yoshino must have noticed Yumi's shaking shoulders.

"Yoshino, did you watch "Madeline" when you were a kid?" Yumi lowered her voice.

"Eh?" Yoshino thought for a while and then giggled herself when she understood what Yumi meant.

Yumi read the wooden sign nailed above the door they were about to enter. Home economics room. Her eyes fell on a tall blonde standing behind a large desk filled with bowls and other baking equipment, then her gaze trailed on to the rest of the tables lined up in three rows also bowls and baking equipment on top.

"Ah, you must be Fukuzawa-san." Hasekura Rei greeted Yumi while she tied a light blue apron around her waist.

"Yes." Yumi responded with a bow and awkwardly stood in front of the class unsure where to go for it seems the class was divided into groups. Rei noticed her new student's predicament and was about to speak when someone from a table at the back raised her hand.

"Sensei?" Rei shifted her view from Yumi to the owner of the raised hand.

"Yes Yoshino-san?" She asked, her eyebrows slightly rising.

"She can group with us." Shimako nodded in agreement.

"Very well then." Rei gave Yumi a quick nod and proceeded to the board to write something.

After passing table after table Yumi finally reached where Yoshino eagerly sat and waited along with Shimako who looked less eager like the eager beaver beside her but she had that pleasant expression on her face nonetheless. Yumi gave a bemused smile. No one was ever this nice to her, sure she had friends in her old school but they only warmed up to each other after some time and they were in the same clique so they already shared common interests. No one came up to her to share their notes, or offer her to join their group in home economics or someone who would just simply smile or say some random thing to ease her aloofness. Whatever it was Yumi felt that both the girl's actions were definitely sincere. It's been awhile huh?

Yoshino's eyes immediately darted to the front of the class when Rei spoke, seemingly forgetting Yumi and Shimako. Yumi looked at Shimako blankly who just shrugged then read what was written on the blackboard, she glanced at Yoshino who was still in a daze before moving her attention to their teacher.

"Okay class, for today we'll be making strawberry cheesecake." She showed a book and pointed a picture to the class. A smile with a hint of contentment breaking her lips. Some of the girls squealed with excitement, some smiled with delight and more than half of the class swooned at the tall blonde.

* * *

Her left hand gracefully ran through her beautiful straight hair, the other, lazily tracing invisible shapes on the window. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned closer, the coolness of the glass felt nice on her skin. She envied a bird perched on a branch of a nearby tree, she wanted to fly away and break free of her misery. Fly away to Fiji maybe? Sachiko lowered her eyes and caught sight of something shiny on her ring finger. Oh right, my wedding ring. She stared at it with disdain and sadness. Her eyes forcefully closed as tears stung her eyes. Rarely did she cry, it was only when her grandmother died and on her wedding day. When she opened them again they were veiled with the usual coldness that was always present. Her eyes never failed to give her emotions away, they clouded them with placid coolness.

Sachiko leaned closer to the window attempting to seek comfort in it, her hand toying with the ring given by a man she used to love. She laughed at her own foolishness, foolish for thinking he could love her back. But she was young then; unsure of what she felt, of what her heart held. The agony of first love. I could never love you the way you want me to. Those words echoed in her head, just before graduating from high school he confessed to her. It hurt so much that the hate she felt for men in her life only grew stronger. She was hurt by those she loved. At the back of her head a nagging feeling unsettled her. Why could he not love her? Was she not good enough for him? Suguru's rejection was a big blow to her pride but winning his heart seem to be unnecessary, yet it hurt her so much she couldn't quite explain why. And then there was the wedding, how ironic. Was the world playing a cruel joke on her? So as a lady she was brought up to be, she sucked it up and smiled when she needed to smile and continue living this cruel joke. All the more enforcing that sturdy insurmountable wall she built around her self.

The wedding was set after they both graduated from high school, but because of her unwaivering determination it was posponed until just almost a week ago. Sachiko was half-heartedly ready to surrender her life to complete misery, up until half way along the aisle when she met her gaze. A tiny spark of hope awoke in her, a chance of finding true happiness perhaps. Something in her self she thought she never had willed her to seek for that happiness, whatever it was. Sachiko smiled to her self amidst the agony and pain she constantly felt. She liked the way she looked at her.

"How can I help you? Youko-san?" Sachiko heard footstep coming towards her and instantly she knew who it was without looking.

"Good day to you too, Sachiko." A smile broke her lips as she turned to look at the person. Her blue eyes met those stern and knowing eyes but never lacking compassion.

"Gokigenyou." She scolded her self for being rude but the other didn't seem to mind. Youko stared intently at the figure sitted by the window, a vague smile on her lips, her eyes filled with affection. She put a hand inside her uniform's pocket before speaking again.

"So how's life as 'Mrs.' Kashiwagi?" she spoke in a playful voice with a little too much emphasis on 'Mrs.'. Sachiko's smile transformed into a look of disgust, it was only when she was with Youko that she slightly let her guard down. Although Youko was a year older they had formed a strong friendship over the years while they were in Lillian. She had a way of handling her that Sachiko cannot fully comprehend, but she liked being around the older girl.

"Please don't start." she plainly stated failing to hide the irritation in her voice. Youko only smirked, it was a rare sight to see Ogasawara Sachiko squirm in annoyance.

"You know you're a great nurse but I think you should shift to another profession, like a lawyer maybe." Sachiko veered the topic as a pathetic attempt to dodge any subject concerning her marriage with Kashiwagi Suguru, especially since Youko had a strange gift of having accurate conjectures.

"Because as I see it, nurses are suppose to be the nice and caring kind. Not the tyrannic maniac like you." Sachiko continued with a hint of laughter. This made the other girl smile knowing that she was just joking.

"Hmmmm...maybe you're right. But I just look too damn sexy in this uniform." Sachiko laughed for the first time after a while. Youko would do anything to see her friend happy, even for just a little while.

"You'll look better in leather and a whip in hand." For all the years they've been friends, Sachiko's used to the older girl's twisted humor. She then wandered if Youko wore leather lingerie under that uniform. Quickly she brushed off that image from her head, Youko all leather clad and with a whip in hand was definitely scary.

Youko laughed at Sachiko's remark. She never knew why she was so fond of the girl. She moved closer to peek outside the window and after a thoughtful moment she spoke again still gazing at something outside.

"Oh by the way, Yumi-san is your student right?"

"Hmmm?" Sachiko looked at the other girl in surprise.

"Fukuzawa Yumi."

"Yes. What about her?"

"You should go to the home economics room, I think Rei wants you to handle this yourself." Youko spoke with clear amusement in her voice.

"Handle what?"

to be continued

a/n: Thank you so much for reading and also for the reviews!! If you have anything in mind feel free to tell me...

I think I'm addicted now to teh-tarik, I just had my third cup and it's only 3 pm!!


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